You’d expect that somewhere as busy as an international airport would receive complaints from a tonne of people throughout the year just as a byproduct of the sheer amount of people who pass through there everyday.
But in fact it’s the complete opposite, as new data released by Dublin International Airport has revealed that over 90 percent of their noise complaints come from one single person.
As it transpires, one serial complainer made it their life’s mission to moan about noise levels at the airport, racking up a staggering 12,272 official complaints in 2021, which averages out at around 34 cases every day, the airline operator has revealed.
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And that’s not all - even by the complainer's own militant standards that’s still almost double the 6,227 complaints that the same individual filed in 2020, even though the total number of aircraft movements at Dublin Airport last year only increased by around 10 percent as as air traffic continued to be affected by reduced international travel caused by the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The unidentified complainant, who is understood to live in Ongar, north-west Dublin, has been largely responsible for a dramatic increase in complaints filed with DAA (who own and manage Dublin airport) since 2019, the Irish Independent reports.
Before the arrival of the complainer, DAA was receiving around 1,500 noise complaints a year, but last year’s total skyrocketed to a whopping 13,569. However, if you exclude the constant barrage of calls filed by the serial moaner, the figure would have actually dropped to a mere 1,296 in total.
As the number of flights has returned to near pre-pandemic levels in 2022, the same individual has already filed a total of 5,276 complaints in the first three months of this year — a daily average of 59 cases — out of a total of 5,573 logged by DAA.
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However, the number of individuals who lodged complaints with DAA last year was just 191 — up from 128 in 2020.
Most complaints are filed by residents living near Dublin Airport and on flight paths of aircraft, particularly Portmarnock, Swords, the Ward and St Margaret’s.
Complaints have also been lodged from residents on the southside of the city including Blackrock, Dún Laoghaire, Ballybrack, Killiney and Sallynoggin, as well as Dunboyne, Co Meath.
A DAA spokesperson declined to comment on the large volume of complaints filed by a single individual when approached by the LADbible, but said: "Dublin Airport is committed to working with the communities around the airport. This includes reducing aircraft noise on neighbouring communities, which is the joint responsibility of Dublin Airport, the Irish Aviation Authority and the airlines that use the airport.
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"There are a number of noise abatement measures in place and Dublin Airport is committed to working with the industry and other stakeholders to minimise the impact of noise on our neighbours and adjoining communities. DAA responds to each individual complainant regarding their complaint.
"The introduction of a WebTrak system, an online tracking device, enables local communities to access flight paths and noise levels of aircraft using the airport. The system provides information on flight origin, destination, aircraft type, flight path and noise level registered on the airport’s noise monitoring terminals. The system also provides an additional simplified way for members of the public to submit noise complaints."
Tom Sanders